Habitat for Humanity's Most Northerly Remote Build in History

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Habitat for Humanity’s Most Northerly Remote Build in History

First Home Built by Iqaluit Affiliate

Volunteers work on home rain or shine ...

Habitat for Humanity Iqaluit obtained official affiliate status in 2005 and began its first build this summer – the most northerly remote build Habitat for Humanity (HFH) has done in its 32 year history, and the first HFH home in the Territory of Nunavut

HFH Iqaluit consists of volunteers, and the fact that this was the first build project for an affiliate where no one had participated in a HFH build before is truly remarkable. With the assistance of two experienced Habitat teams they are building a single-family home with wood frame construction on a steel pile foundation, to meet energy-efficient standards of at least R2000.

... and in the darkness.

Global Village Teams Pitch-In
On August 3rd, a group of six dedicated Habitat for Humanity volunteers, from communities throughout Southwestern Ontario, travelled to Iqaluit, Nunavut’s capital, under the Canadian Global Village (GV) Program to dedicate a little over one week of their time and experience. A week later, a new group of seven GV volunteers arrived from as far away as Edmonton, Alberta and Atlanta, Georgia to continue the aggressive pace of construction even seasoned residential house builders would find challenging.

Frame of house built as of Day 2 ...

Local volunteers joined the GV teams each day, strengthening the workforce, so that the house would be completely closed-in by the time the last GV volunteers left for their respective southern homes. During the time the GV volunteers spent in Iqaluit, not only were they impressed by the treeless but inspiring terrain, the Inuit people and their culture was truly an eye-opener for many – as was the desperate housing situation.

Not surprisingly, the remote northern location makes logistics exceptionally difficult. All building materials are shipped into Iqaluit by barge during warm weather, which is a very short window of time. HFH Iqaluit had been planning this inaugural build

... and 2 weeks later, volunteers Orest and Dennis in front of the enclosed structure.

project for well over a year, but to make things interesting, the bulk of the framing materials arrived late – 48 hours prior to the day the build was to start. Every HFH build project has its surprises and challenges, but due to the detailed planning, impressive community support and the many prayer-warriors, the fi rst HFH Partner Family in Iqaluit will be moving into their house in early December.

Neil Calhoun, Edmonton Real Estate Broker, HFH Canada Board Director and GV volunteer wrote, “The fact that the build went as smoothly as it did is a testament to the dedication and organization the HFH Iqaluit team committed to this project – I felt that the entire program had been carefully thought out, and yet, I had time to interact with people of the community – a big thank you to HFH Iqaluit for all their hard work!”

By any measure, Nunavut's housing need is staggering.

The Plight of the “Hidden Homeless”
Nunavut’s “hidden homeless” sleep in shifts within already overcrowded homes that average less than 1,000 sq. ft. in size, and offer living-spaces cramped by potable water tanks, furnaces and hot water heaters. In a territory that represents more than one-fifth of Canada’s land mass, adequate living-space is a scarce resource rather than a basic right.

Overcrowding – defined by the 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey as more than one person per room – affects every community in Nunavut.

• Half of Nunavut’s 25 communities suffer overcrowding rates of
20% or more.
• Nunavut experiences 19% overcrowding, compared to the 5%
average for the rest of Canada.

These acute needs constitute a severe housing crisis that is worsening daily as the population booms and existing housing stock ages. Unfortunately, homeownership remains unattainable for most Nunavummiut. Increasing the number of homes, and improving the condition of existing homes, are crucial steps in beginning to address social problems faced by Nunavut children and families.

• Over the next ten years, a housing infrastructure investment of more than $1.9 billion is necessary to meet emerging requirements.

• At least 45% of Nunavut’s dwellings are Public Housing Program units.

• Public Housing wait-lists continually exceed 1,000 families, or about 3,800 persons – 3,000 homes are needed now to bring Nunavut on par with the rest of Canada.

Building Hope – One Home at a Time
Although HFH Iqaluit alone cannot put a dent in the extreme need for affordable housing in Iqaluit,

the project is intended to build hope by uniting the community and supporters in a common focus. We hope the high profi le of this project will help more Canadians become aware of the acute housing crisis in Nunavut. HFH Iqaluit would like to draw attention to the issues of homelessness, overcrowding and inadequacy of the current housing stock to meet the needs of a fast-growing, youthful population. The build will also highlight the challenges of building in the far North – high costs, a brief construction period, and an unforgiving climate. This is an especially worthwhile project with an ambitious set of goals. We wish our partners in Iqaluit every success!

For more information on Nunavut - size, population and other stats, please click here.

Photos courtesy of HFH Northumberland and HFH Greater Kingston and Frontenac.

For more Iqaluit build photos please visit www.habitatkingston.com, by clicking this link.